Lion Cubs & Curses
by riah alice drake
Summary: It was that ghost of a kiss against the child's hand that brought everything flooding back into Alice's mind. It was like a fast-passed storm of memories painting themselves behind her eyes. Her entire life But this was crazy. Robin was her true love she knew it with every fiber of her being. Her Nobin the woman waiting back at the Inn for her. Unless….
1. Chapter 1

Tilly had left Margot to handle checking them in at the Inn thinking that as long as the pair was stuck in a weird town in Main that they should at least get a decent dinner to make up for the mess this strange trip from Hyper Heights to Storybrooke, Main had made out of their first real date.

She'd just finished placing her order and slid into a booth to wait for it when the booth directly behind the blonde was filled. At first Tilly had kept her head down trying not to draw that much attention to herself after the amazed look she'd gotten from the waitress with red highlights in her dark colored hair. Apparently, they don't get a lot of newcomers in this town. No matter how short Tilly and her possible girlfriend intended to stay, and Tilly wasn't about to cause anymore gossip when she was just starting to get over the lies going around about her back in the Heights.

It was a happy giggle and a little hand fisting in her hair pulling on it with all the strength the newborn toddler possessed that had Tilly looking over her shoulder curiously to meet a pair of very familiar gray eyes that were bashfully hidden behind a light pink baby blanket as soon as they met Tilly's.

"Oh, sorry I'm about that. I thought she was still asleep." The man Tilly guessed was the baby's father giving they had the same stormy gray eyes commented when he noticed his daughter's actions. But as soon as he tried to untangle the tiny fists from Tilly's hair the baby let out a shrill shriek of a cry hugging herself across the back of the booths in earnest. "I'm incredibly sorry about this. She's never done anything like this before." Her father stammered still trying to pull his daughter back from the stranger.

"It's alright." Tilly assured him "Can….can I hold her?" she asked thinking fast as more and more eyes turned in their direction. So much for laying low.

The baby's father hesitated but soon gave up when his little girl stubbornly refused to let go of this woman and only nuzzled closer the more he tried to pull her away and carefully passed his still crying daughter over to the blonde watching every move she made intently.

The effect was immediate with the s little girl quieting as soon as Tilly had her nestled against her chest "That's quite a cry you've got little one." Tilly teased earning a giggling smile from the baby girl in her arms those beautiful stormy gray eyes still fixed on the ocean blue. One tiny hand fisting around the front of the red and black checkered shirt while the other held onto the edge of her baby blanket and her little head pillowed over Tilly's heart as the baby nuzzled into the circle of her arms dozing off to the song the blonde was whisper singing to her.

"She's never done anything like this before." Her father repeated in awe at everything that had just happened. He seemed to want to take the dozing baby away from the still humming blond but didn't follow up on the action the more he noticed how relaxed his daughter was in the woman's arms. "What's her name?" Tilly asked tucking the blanket more surely around resting girl's small frame absently rocking the sleeping baby as she looked up into meet her father's gaze.

The question brought out a rather sheepish smile from the scruffy bearded man as he rubbed at the back of his neck reminding Tilly rather strikingly of the way Margot gets when she's asked a question she's nervous about answering. "Her mother and I haven't given her one at the moment." He confessed reaching out to stroke his hand over the few strands of hair on his daughter's head when the baby fainted restlessly but quieted as soon as Tilly moved her back against her chest bringing back the sound of her heartbeat under the little girl's ear. "Well, what's your then?" Tilly asked unable to look away from the sleeping girl in her arms.

"Names Robin." He answered sparking a kind of Deja vu feeling deep in Tilly's jumbled mind.

' _New Robin….so Nobin'_ she heard herself saying as her eyes held the same gray colored ones she was still staring into only to be followed by an annoyed sounding _'Yeah don't call me that'_ from a voice that if Tilly wasn't mistaken was Margot's.

But that was impossible they'd never had any kind of conversation like that one.

"Tilly." The distracted blonde answered trying to hide her laughter over the back and forth in her head as she shifted the sleeping baby to shake his outstretched hand. "Is that a lion?" Tilly asked noticing the tattoo on the arm of the hand she was still holding. "It's my family's coat of arms." Robin explained turned his arm to let her look at the image properly.

"Sorry to interrupt." The waitress who Tilly now knew was named Ruby thanks to her name tag whispered keeping her voice low to avoid waking the sleeping toddler. "You're order's ready." She told them holding up the bag with a friendly smile.

With a defeated node Tilly carefully passed the sleeping baby girl back to her father. "I'll see you again little one." She promised when those adorable gray eyes found hers and 'baby Nobin' as Tilly had taken to calling her in her head reached out for her again with a quivering lower lip. "My friend Margot and I are going to be in town for a while, so we're bound to run into each other again." she went on when the grabbing little hands kept reaching for her from her father's arms. "Here how about you be a good girl for your daddy and next time I find you I'll bring you a present?" Tilly bargained bringing a round of adored chucking laugher from the other two and a high pitched excited squeal from 'baby Nobin' as the toddler rested her little hand against the side of Tilly's face as if petting her hair earning the smallest brush of a kiss against her little palm.

It was that ghost of a kiss against the child's hand just as Tilly felt an answering wet baby kiss against her nose that brought everything flooding back into Alice's mind.

Everything. Everyone.

It was like a fast-passed storm of memories painting themselves behind her eyes. Her entire life from the time she was locked in that tower to when her and her Papa had that horrible curse put on them keeping them apart to meeting the owner of the gorgeous gray eyes she was still staring into to the day when everything was ripped away from her.

But this was crazy. Robin was her true love she knew it with every fiber of her being. Robin. Her Nobin the woman waiting back at the Inn for her with no memory of their life together. She was it for her.

Unless….

This had to be some magicked form of time travel. It was the only explanation for what had just happened to her.

It was weird even for her to think that she was now holding the love of her life in her arms, cradling her, singing her to sleep. -Okay sure she had done all of those things more than once with adult Robin 'Her Robin' but this was different

"I think she's alright with that." 'Other Robin' mused shaking Alice out of her head as he reached for the bundle of blankets still nestled prothetely against her chest. "I'll see you again soon love." Alice whispered against the toddler's ear earning another wide baby smile while Alice finished tucking the falling blanket back over the baby's shoulders as she passed her back to her father.

"It was nice to meet you all." The awakened blonde smiled nodding to the other two in turn as she shouldered her backpack and gratefully taking the food bag from Ruby and heading to the door with one last glance over her shoulder at the pouting face of the gray-eyed toddler.

A nearly identical pouting expression was waiting for her in the lobby of the Inn she and Her Robin- no she was still Margot-were staying at. "I thought you were never going to come back." Her true love sulked pulling her in for a greeting hug as soon as Alice was within arm's reach. "Don't you know already? I'll always find my way back to you Targo. You can't get rid of me that easy." The realm jumper promised brush a kiss against the hollow of Margot's throat before pulling back to meet her eyes hopefully.

"I know but that doesn't mean that some guys in this new town couldn't catch your eye along the way." Margot answered without even the hint of recognition Alice had been hoping for. Apparently magic here was stranger than even she knew.

"Not this time…well not really cause I did meet a man but it was more the girl he had with him." Alice admitted. "So really she's the reason I'm late coming back to you." That produced a much hoped for spark deep in those stormy colored eyes she loved so dearly as Robin's hand closed around her wrist in a vice.

"They only had one room left so we'll have to share but at least we have a place to sleep for a few days while we figure out how we got here then more importantly how we get back home." Margot rambled but knowing her as well as she did Alice could hear the jealousy behind her true love's tone as the rest of her bags were gathered up and she was steered up the steps to their room.

"So, who was this girl that held you up?" Margot wondered almost as soon as the door was closed behind them.

Alice knew better than, to tell the truth of 'Well love it was you only as a rather loud and adorable baby…and by the way I met your Dad he seems nice and very protective over you.' However truthful that statement was as she watched Robin dumped the bags on the only bed and sat down on the edge with an expectant air about her. "Well, she reminded me of you actually." Alice admitted honestly from the other side of the bed holding those hypnotizing gray eyes a while longer as she climbed up onto the bed resting her back against the headboard comfortably.

"Me?" Margot questioned in disbelief leaning back until her head was pillowed against Alice's lap "Well she had your eyes at least…. And that adorable smile." Her companion nodded smoothing Margot's darker blonde hair out from under her glasses for a better view of her eyes. The action brings out just a small hint of a smile pulling at the corner of Margot's lips as she leaned into the touch. "And she wouldn't let go of my shirt once I got her in my arms." That brought a jealous huff from her possible girlfriend who was covering her jealous mutterings by poking around in the rest bags Alice had brought in along with the food. "You didn't spend your whole paycheck on this stuff, did you?" Margot questioned pulling out the extra clothes, bottles of water and a few sodas, candy apples.

"So, I splurged just a little. It's my first ever paycheck sue me." Alice shot back with a shrug still finger combing Margot's hair while she talks. "No, I mean…" Margot sighed grudgingly pulling away from the soothing touch against her scalp and pushing herself out of bed over to the small chest of drawers in the corner of the room pulling out her own earlier purchases for Alice's inspection. "Seems great minds think alike." Alice chuckled when some of the same patterns showed up.

"What's in this one?"

Alice glanced up from finishing setting out the food for their makeshift date night take two on top of the bedspread to see just what her companion was talking about to see that she had found the bag containing the present she'd promised to 'Little Nobin'.

"Just something I promised to get that girl I told you about that wouldn't let me go." She confessed much to the annoyance of her girlfriend.

"What?" Alice wondered suddenly worried at her choice when is brought such a surprised gasp from the other woman now dropping down on the edge of the bed with the plush toy cradled in her hands and tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Alice pressed her fear growling with each passing second her questions were being left unanswered.

The intent was to get the little 'mini Margot' something simple that she could cuddle with on bad days and when she'd seen the soft animal just sitting on a shelf in the back of that small little secondhand shop Alice just couldn't _not_ buy it for her. Especially when she remembered that tattoo on Older Robin's wrist and him telling her that the lion was a part of the family's crest. Besides she thought it looked strangely like something she'd seen sitting on Robin's dresser on the nights she'd stay over at the Emerald Farm back in their real home.

"No everything fine…. it's just." Margot sniffed stroking the lion's main with trembling fingers before she went on cuddling back up awkwardly against Alice's side to avoid disturbing any of the food still waiting to be eaten from their makeshift picnic style table on top of the sheets.

"My….my dad got me a lion exactly like this when I was a baby." She whispered pillowing her head against Alice's stomach and talking so low that the blonde had to strain to hear her even in the quiet room. "Or at least that was what my mom always told me cause she said he was always playing with it with me making it roar and fight away all the monsters that kind of thing." She corrected now hugging the plush toy against her chest like a lifeline as she moved up, so she was listening to the soft beat of her maybe girlfriend's heartbeat. The sound both familiar and calming all at once. "I took him with me on my trips, so it was like he was with me too wherever I was. Still, have him too he's guarding my bed back home."

"I named him Comet." Margot laughed making the lion sit up on her stomach as she snuggled in against Alice's lap again "My Comet pulled out of orbit passing the sun to keep me safe." She hummed her eyes now trained on the ceiling as she tried to see around the glare coming from her glasses. It wasn't until she felt soft brush of lips against her forehead and hearing a whispered hum of melody of a long-forgotten lullaby filling both the room and her dozing ears the fingers of her free hand interlocked with her new girlfriend's and hugging her closest friend since childhood to her chest that everything came back in flashing shots of colors, sounds and feelings.


	2. Chapter 2

Robin's eyes opened slowly making her fight to hold in a moan when her slightly blurred vision gave her an all to perfectly up-close view of her true love's chest as Alice reached over her to snatch up one of the nearly forgotten cheeseburgers on her other side.

"What was he like? The guy with the baby." Robin asked pretending for a few moments that her life hadn't been restored to her with that gentle kiss and she didn't know that she had her head resting in the lap of her other half. Her 'Almost Runaway'. Her Tower Girl. Her Alice.

The question brought a disgruntled huff from her love but knowing what the sound really was was only because the trained huntress knew her Alice so well to pick up on her sulking mood. "Incredibly protective of his little girl. Like I would ever think of hurting you…your daughter guy." Alice answered averting her eyes after hastily covering for the slip then keeping herself from saying anything more by taking a rather large bite of her burger while her other hand twisted absently in Margot's hair. "plus, I don't really think he likes me even when I did get his little one to sleep."

Robin gave a purr of a laugh absently fiddling with the side her glasses- a habit that seemed to carry over from her cursed self- as she turned her head to look up at her true love. "Doubtful. How could anyone not like you?"

That brought an amused blushing smile to the realm jumper's lips. "I can think of a few people." She answered leaning into the touch when Robin reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "His name was Robin too and he had a really cool tattoo on his arm that's one of the reasons I picked this little guy up." Alice backtracked pulling her eyes away to keep from openingly staring at her Robin's lips obviously wanting to just lean in and kiss her.

The younger Robin chewed on her lower lip under the longing gaze however brief it lasted "Just as long as you came back to me I'll be alright with you seeing other women." She whispered pushing herself up to starch out her locked-up muscles in her back while finally earning a real laugh from her true love. "The only woman I'm seeing is you love." Alice countered fitting herself along her back when she hugged onto the archer from behind.

She couldn't help it. Not with Alice being so close and even if it didn't work and Tilly did push her away she would at least know how Robin-or well how Margot felt about her.

Alice started in surprise when Margot twisted around at the waist to pull her in closer pressing their lips together in a warm kiss.

"Alice?" Robin questioned resting her forehead against the ocean blue-eyed blonde's while she caught her breath.

"Nobin." Was the teasing breath of an answer followed by the brush of lips against the hollow of her throat in another kiss.

Robin's arms slid around her lover's neck as Alice's found an even tighter hold on the archer's waist as the couple fell back onto the bed together letting the kiss deepen all on its own sending rolling waves of pent-up magic surging around the small room.

Both women groaned in unison at the sound of a pounding fist on the door. "It's probably just…" Robin started to say but paused when the voice that followed wasn't the one belonging to the Inn's owner and landlord but…

"Dad."

"Tilly are you alright?" the original Robin Hood called out from the hallway not the least bit concerned with the fact that anything other than violence was going on behind the door going by the sounds of things being thrown around he had heard coming up the back steps.

Alice untangled herself at once casting a nervous glance over at her companion with a grateful smile when the young witch straightened all the mess back to the way the room had looked before the little make-out session with just a wave of her hand. Right down to replacing the once spilled drinks that had been precariously balanced on top of the sheets back to a better position on the nightstand.

"Yeah sorry…. the erm…. the…" Alice stammered opening the door to find the legendary archer waiting in the doorway. "The Tv was up pretty loud. Sorry about all the noise sir." Her true love finished for her holding up the remote with a perfect look of her cursed self's timid smiles as she came face to face with her father for the first time she could properly remember.

"The volume button got stuck." Alice explained stepping back to let the archer step into the room just to check for himself that she wasn't in any danger. "My apologies for interrupting your dinner ladies." He told them when his eyes fell on the little picnic style layout on top of the bedspread and politely not pointing out how rumpled their clothes were. "But I found this abandoned in one of the local shops and thought you'd want it back as soon as possible." He continued holding up Tilly's backpack for them to see.

"Thaanks." Alice smiled taking her curse self's pack from him. "I have something for you too…well for your little girl I mean." She backtracked trying to avoid her Robin's eyes at the comment as she tossed the bag beside the bed and held out her hand for the lion Robin was still cuddling with. 'you'll get it back' she mouthed earning a small giggle from her girlfriend as she handed over the stuffed animal with one last kiss against the top of its head.

"Just in case I didn't run into you again I wanted you to have this to give to your little girl." Alice explained holding out the plush to the archer still framed in the doorway. "Thank you…" Robin smiled at the kindness then noticed the watery eyes of the other young woman in the room.

"Are you alright?" the older archer wondered waiting for an agreeing node from Tilly to enter the room somehow drawn to comfort the misty-eyed young woman sitting on the bed. "Fine." She answered rubbing her eyes on her shirt sleeve. "Robin Locksley." He greeted pulling up a chair beside the bed and holding out his hand toward her. "This is my girlfriend Margot West." Alice introduced when her Robin only took her father's hand in her own without saying anything.

"Margot…. West?" Robin questioned with a laugh that his daughter echoed with a weak breath of a laugh herself. "Have we met before Miss West?" that had the two time travelers stiffening in panic as the hunter's eyes stayed held with his grown daughter's. They were saved anymore questioning by the shrill sound of a phone ringing.

"Regina?"

Robin and Alice exchanged a smile at the tenderness around the name. "Okay I'll be right there." the distracted archer vowed over the sounds of who the other two knew was the scared cries of a much younger one of them. "It was nice meeting you Margot and seeing you again Tilly but I…" he started but they both waved him off "Go make sure she's alright." Alice insisted winding her arms around her Robin's waist hugging her back against her body reassuringly.

"Thank you again for this." The elder Robin smiled holding up the lion plush as he headed back to the door "I'll tell her you said hello as well." he promised at the door giving them each one last smile before hurrying out into the hall closing the door behind him as he went.

"That…" Robin whispered her eyes still on the door as she took off her glasses tossing them blindly onto the side table beside the long-forgotten sodas as her hands pulled at Alice's arms pulling her in even closer against her back. "That was my…" she tried again her tears welling up freely now he was gone. "Yeah…told you he has your eyes." Alice commented nuzzling her face against her archer's hair as they cuddled even closer together.


	3. Chapter 3

"I told you ten tibs already babe. It's just a little chest colbd. I'm fimb." Robin insisted in a croaky whisper as she and Alice slowly made their way down the back steps of Granny's B&B. "Look all I am saying here is I know you've been a little off ever since your Dad got that call a few days ago okay so sorry if I'm a little worried, but I am your girlfriend not to mention your true love so I'm more than a lot allowed to worry about you. No matter how little this cold turns out to be." Alice countered keeping her voice low while also not letting go of her archer's trembling hand as she pulled the taller woman to a stop beside the front desk.

"It's alright to admit when you're not feeling well Targo." The blonde assured her using Tilly's nickname for Margot once she noticed Ruby was minding the back-room desk with a brunet the blonde didn't know leaning against it.

"I have to say you are looking little green." Ruby commented breaking off from her own whispered conversation to glance over at the bickering pair through the open office door. "How about you go lay down in the lounge and I'll have Granny make you some chicken soup?" the waitress questioned as gently as possible while the woman beside her pushed off the desk with a wary look in her eyes as she rounded the receptionist desk to help Alice steady the swaying young woman and together the pair help guide her over to the little sofa beside the fireplace.

"Have we met before?" was all the gray-eyed woman asked once Robin had been carefully lowered down with her head pillowed against Alice's lap and her lover's jacket acting like a blanket. "Nope." Alice answered for her when Robin's denying shake of her head only made the building pain behind her eyes worse.

"Toto down." The brunet ordered when the little black dog that had been sniffing around Alice's shoes suddenly jumped up into Robin's chest with a low warning growl before a few little sniff of her hair and neck had him attacking her face with little puppy kisses and several pitiful almost sympathetic type whimpers. "Come on Toto I said get down boy. Can't you tell she not feeling well what's wrong with you?" the terrier's owner scolded dropping the dog back onto the floor with an apologetic sigh when the pup just jumped back up into the sofa this time curling up with his head resting on top of Robin's legs.

"You Dorfy Gale, aren't you?" Robin coughed whipping the last of the dog slobber from her face while Alice helpfully took off and cleaned her glasses for her.

The Oz legend was saved from answering with more than just a node of her head by Ruby rejoining their little ring with an amused smile on her lips. "Not hungy." Robin groaned as soon as her glassy eyes fell on the container in Ruby's hand. "Come on Ro…Margot, you have to at least drink some of the broth okay love…please." Alice insisted when a hand against her love's forehead told her the fever was coming back.

"Don't want." Robin whined snuggling more against Alice's stomach with another hard dry cough. "somch hurts." The scratchy throated archer complained again at Alice's mildly annoyed huff at her rejection.

"How about we get her out for a little bit? It's kind of cold out right now but a walk around downtown should help." Dorothy offered seeing the panic start to grow in Alice's eyes as she looked down at her stubborn girlfriend cuddle even closer against her stomach.

"I think a walk in the woods would do her some good." The blonde decided remembering all those stories Robin would tell her about her father taking her on little trips into the Storybrooke woods when he managed to smuggle her away from Zelena as a baby then all her own trips into the trees as a teenager when she wanted some time away from the rest of her judgmental peers.

"If you think she's up for it." Ruby answered as she and Dorothy mirrored Tilly and Margot's cuddling posture. "Trust me she is." Alice smiled pressing a kiss against Robins warm forehead as she helped Robin along after the other retreating couple.

* * *

"Haha, you in my worb now." Robin coughed her voice a little less scratchy than it had been as she slowly lifted her head from its snuggled place against Alice's shoulder as soon as she and Alice had cleared the tree line. "I believe you mean you ladies are in my world, don't you?" another voice questioned.

"Hey yeah, Locksley. Just stopping by for a late-night stroll. Seems our new friend here is a little under the weather too so we're trying to help her out." Ruby explained as the legendary archer melted out of the trees with a bow slung over his shoulder. "Seems to be a bug going around." The archer sighed falling into step beside Alice and his grown daughter. "Seems my little girl has a cold, so I had to leave her with her mother for the night." He told them his voice taking on a defeated break as he talked.

"I still can't believe that woman is a mother." Dorothy sighed letting out a little giggling laugh as she watched Toto chasing after a bird up the trail from them.

"That my mob." Robin growled talking just loud enough for Alice and her unknowing father to hear her as she tripped over an upturned tree root as she glared blurrily at the chuckling hero. "Easy." Her father soothed while on her other side Alice was praying that he hadn't translated what the sick archer was talking about as they navigated the uneven terrain. The two time travelers had already had a rather nervous discussion of what could happen if anyone found out who they really were.

"How about we get your young lady back to her bed before her uneven balance is the least of our worries? I think she has had enough fresh air for now." The father decided his eyes finding Alice's over the younger Robin's shoulder "May I be permitted to carry her back to the Inn for you?" he wondered not trusting the mumbling woman's own feet to support her when her coughing fits became worse.

"Please." Alice agreed with only a pause in consideration about letting the father have an even closer look at his grown daughter, but she didn't see any other way to get her love back to the Inn without much of a fight as the afternoon light faded even more behind the tree line.

Alice couldn't help the teasing smile at her love's whined "No don't want to go." even while her arms draped themselves obediently around her father's neck when the archer handed his bow over to Ruby and Dorothy with a nodded promise to return it to the camp for him as he pulls the swaying coughing young woman into his arms. "I'll bring you back out here myself once your better Miss West but for now we have to get you back to the Inn, so you can rest and get well."

If either archer had been paying closer attention they would have picked up on the faint click of a phone camera capturing the tender moment before the device itself was hastily stuffed back into her jacket pocket as Alice pretended to be hunting the underbrush around them for any signs of the terrier that was nowhere near the little group. "Shall we?" she asked quizzically stealing another adorable picture of her Robin dozing sleepily against her father's shoulder Margot's glasses hanging even more lopsided on her nose whenever she'd move to get comfortable when the archer turned to look in the direction Alice had indicated with an agreeing node. "Lets."


End file.
